Though you may know it as rice and peas or peas and rice, peas is not actually used in this dish. Instead red kidney beans is the actual “peas” of choice used. And though we may associate this dish as being uniquely Jamaican, it’s also enjoyed throughout the Caribbean. However there are limited restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago that serves it and I’m still to find a home where it’s part of their weekly menu. Our choice for a rice dish with peas is Pelau.

This recipe is a modified version of a recipe that was passed on to me from a good friend from St Vincent. According to him, he makes the best rice and peas in the Caribbean… we’ll leave it as that for now!

Start by dicing the onion and scallion and smash the garlic so it’s crushed but not in many pieces. This way you can remove it from the finished dish easily. Also remember to remove the thyme off the sprig or you can leave it on the sprig and take the spring out when the dish is done cooking.

Then we’ll put a deep pot on medium heat and pour in the oil to heat up. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, thyme and scallion. Allow this to cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes.

While this cooks, let’s get the rice ready. I usually wash my rice before cooking to get rid of any grit and dirt. I do so by putting the rice into a bowl and let warm water cover it. Then using my hand and fingers I massage the rice. You’ll notice the water will go a bit gritty/white (see pic below). Drain that water out and rise a couple times again. Be sure to drain out the water well the final time. Now the onion should be soft and the oil infused with the other ingredients we added to the pot. Empty the wash rice and give the pot a good stir.

I’ve seem people empty the can of red beans directly into the pot, but I hate the liquid it’s packaged in. So I drain and give a quick rinse before emptying into the pot. After that I add the water, coconut milk, dash of black pepper, salt and the whole pepper. By putting the pepper whole, I can remove it at the end… plus it will get some of the flavour of the pepper without the actual heat. I then bring it up to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cover the pot. This will then cook for about 25 minutes.

Stir every 5 minutes or so, and play close attention to the level of liquid. If you find that the liquid is drying up too fast, turn down the heat a bit. The final 10 minutes is crucial, since you want the rice to to cook, but not overcook and go mushy. If after 20 minutes you find that the rice is plump, turn up the heat (remove the lid) and cook off any remaining liquid. TIP: Here’s a simple way to test the rice to see if it’s done. Take a couple gains out of the pot and place on the counter top or on a side dish. Now gently press your fingers down and across the grain of rice. If there’s no solid texture (grainy feel), it means the rice is fully cooked.

As mentioned the last 10 minutes is crucial, since this is where you can control the desired texture of the rice. With the use of coconut milk and the fact that the rice contains starch it’s very easy to go creamy and sticky. I like my rice grainy so I burn off the liquid very fast once I determine that it fully cooked. Most times I under cook it (means the rice could use about 5 minutes more cooking) then I remove it off the heat with the lid covered. The residual heat in the pot continues to cook it while not on the heat of the stove.

* If you find that your rice is not fully cooked and your liquid is gone, simply add some boiling water to the pot and continue cooking.

The finished dish with some curry chicken wings.

I’d love to hear from you, especially if you have a different way of preparing rices and peas. Please leave me your comments in the area provided below.

49 Responses to “Rice and peas without peas?”

Why is it that people like YVE, STEVE, and BAJAN JAY like to say things that they do not know and confuse others?
Just like white rice, there is brown rice long grain, parboiled, short grain, etc. All you have to do is to look for and find the one that you need!

I have used long grain brown rice for ages, and my rice comes out perfectly! You have to know how much liquid to use so as for it not to come out mushy or rubbery! I do not use white rice ever! Just look for it in the supermarket or store.

Hello….Why do people make such a fuss over the cooking of peas & rice,,,there is nothing to …when I lived T’dad in the 50’s we had a lovely cook from Domanica and she was a wiz at cooking Trinidad food….peas and rice was on the table before one can say monkey’s uncle,,,,I do peas & rice quite a lot and I acquired her method,,,which is fool proof……Thanks Querino ARE YOU MAD I HAVE NEVER SUBMITTED ANYTHING BEFORE………

Hello….Why do people make such a fuss over the cooking of peas & rice,,,there is nothing to …when I lived T’dad in the 50’s we had a lovely cook from Domanica and she was a wiz at cooking Trinidad food….peas and rice was on the table before one can say monkey’s uncle,,,,I do peas & rice quite a lot and I acquired her method,,,which is fool proof……Thanks Querino

I made this recipe today and am so happy with it. I was really craving rice and peas but did not feel up to travelling all the way to Los Angeles to get it. At least not today seeing as it is New year’s. Remembering the recipe you posted for me after I couldn’t get the pigeon peas to tenderize, decided to make the dish myself. Thank you so much.

The only difference I used Fresh and Easy Instant Brown Rice. Having used it in a soup that cooked for 6 hours in a slow cooker the rice turned out perfect, I took a chance with your recipe and it was perfect and still firm.

My son’s Trini in-laws will be with us this Christmas and I want to honor them by serving the amazing Trini dishes they have cooked for us in the past. My question is, can stewed chicken, curried chicken, rice and peas be frozen and successfully re-heated; I need to practice and if I get it right I want the good stuff ready and prepared ahead of time! Thanks for your help.

I agree with Bajan Jay. I see in many of the recipes the words brown rice. To me brown rice doesn’t have the husk polished off and takes much longer to cook. I also is nuttier and chewier. I think there is a translation problem with what Americans know as brown rice and what Chris calls brown rice. I’ve always known rice and peas to have regular long grain rice.

This recipe says to use brown rice, although the images clearly show long grain rice, which is the correct rice to use for this dish, brown rice would make this rather grainy and gross. Being West Indian myself, and having eaten this dish hundreds of times, i can safely say that I’ve never seen it used in this dish ever.